Learning about wine…one sip at a time

The Wine Student ~

Over the years I’ve enjoyed a lot of wine. I’ve tasted some, had a bit too much of others but it’s only in the past few years that I’ve seriously wanted to learn more about them. The first step was taking a wine retailing course. In it, I learned about what it took not only to grow and produce wines but how to make tasting and buying of wines a wonderful and unique experience. For me, something clicked and I knew it was a process I’d always want to learn more about.

I’ve spoken to many vintners and grape growers over the years and I’m always impressed by the passion they have about the work they do; the sweat and sometimes tears that go into producing a vintage every season. Each year is a little like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get.

In a few weeks I’ll be taking a first level wine course and I’m really excited about it. I’ll be learning about many aspects of wines, how to serve it, and how to pair it. I’ll take you along with me.

One of the goals I have for this blog is to de-mystify wine. There have been so many times in restaurants where I’ve been overwhelmed by the choice of vintages, labels and types of wines that I sometimes shut down. While it’s great to rely on the sommelier’s wealth of information, I want to have a better working knowledge of wine. To do that, I have to experience it; from picking a bottle because of the artwork (which, yes, I’ve done from time to time) to the learned suggestion from an expert.

Every few posts I’ll include a wine that I’ve sampled and rate it in so many grapes: 5 grapes = this made my eyes roll back in my head and 1 grape = ‘not so much’. Hmmm…maybe I should raise the bar a little higher for the eye-rolling category – that’s a pretty tall order for anything to do, much less a glass of wine. I’ll work on that one a bit more.

My blog is about pursuing the passion I’ve developed for wine and I hope you’ll enjoy learning right along with me.